Wichita eagle., 1887-03-03
PATIENCE.
Last.night at Craw ford's was the initial

/ LdSC. night at crawl rQS was the Initial
performance Of. the Opera OF. Patience by the
Lotus Opera company. The charming opera
which in: the days of supfower etheticisnl
and its ardent apostle Oscar Wild was sc
popular has like the craze it SO pleasantly
ridiculed been to great extent displaced by
newer crazes and later operas. Its resurrec
ton by the Lotus company brought back to
theatre goers its beauty and although its hits
may not now be apropos yet the music aud
the lines it contain continue to charm and
please as in the past
1t was critical and cultured audience
that witnessed the production and The marks
of appreciation which they bestowed may
well be a source of congratulation to the
| performers
The curtain rose in the first act upon the
twenty love sick maidens, their chorus
was hardly completed. when Pa
tience appeared. Miss Lillian Brown
who assumed this character, was greeted
with applause, and sprang into favor that
she retained to the last She has a sweet
voice, makes good stage appearance, and
presented well the charming and innocent
dairy maid.
The first encore of the evening was receiv-
ed by Mr.. Hi Alden, whose role was that of
Reginald Bunthorne. His duet with Miss
Lillian Hamblin in the second act, was twice
encored.
Archibald Grosvenor by Mr.. w. C. Col
lins, was one Of the most acceptable rendi-
tions OF the whole cast. His ease and grace
won him favor from the first. There was no
sweeter part of the opera that the scene in
which he first appears and sings to Patience
The lines of the .ove ditty, Pray Pretty
Maiden"
Miss Lima Wyatt impersopated Lady An
gela, and did it very cleverly too. The duet
she sang with Miss Brown in the first act,
was pretty and deserved the encore received.
The quintette OF Misses Wyatt and Earl,
and Messrs. Hull, Bracken, and Cust1nan in
the second act, was another part
of the opera which was most ia
vorably received and deserved by SO. |
The performers responded to an en-
core and the audience appeared half inclined
10 ASK q lulTu IeIu'LloN i He TdpbuTOuS
maidens were Mrs. ". 7. Stem, Misses Mile |
Laura Woodcock, Matte Fab |
rique, leila Tusch, Laura Woodbury., Bertha |
Niederlander, Sadie York, Anna Osborne,
Renetta Ross, Julia Ross, Allie Littell Maud
Struble, Mossie Baldwin, Emma Hnzen,
Emma Boyd. Carrie Fisher and Allie Suits |
These twenty pretty ladies' added not a
little to the general success of the opera
Neither should mention be omitted of the
Dragon Guards, I. B. Garst. c. Hagan, e. |
Dobee, G.. Shepard L. w. Armstrong c. |
Bracken, +. Petty, w F. Ladd, II. Evans,
r. Owens, T. P. Gully, l.. Miner, F. Baldwin.
&. h. Romsey, Geo. Fitting.
The grouping, however, Of the maiden in
the first act was not exactly up to the idea
o. the aesthetic; neither were the evolutions
Of the dragon guards as precise and fault
l->s as should be. These are defects that
come, perhaps, more from first presenta-
ton, aud may and can be much improved |
uoon as the novelty of first appearance
wears Off
The rendition as a whole may be said to he |
good, very good, better than that given by |
most travelling companies that come TO
Wichita. It exhibited marks Of a careful |
aud conscientious preparation that deserved |
aud achived success.